Swing-bridge



(No Model.)

M. o. ANTHONY y -SWING BRIDGE.

. No. 325,472.V Patented Sept. l, 1885.

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SWING BRIDGE.

No. 325,472. Patented Sept. l, 1885.

UNITED STATES MARCUS O. ANTHONY, OF BAY CITY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ISABELLA l LANDSBERY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SWING-BRIDGE.

'PEClPCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,472, dated September 1, 1885.

Application led October 22, 1894. (No model.)

To aZ whom may concern,.-

Be it known that I, Maliens O. ANTHONY, of Bay City, in the county of Bay and State of Michigan, have invented new and useful Improvenients in Swing-Bridges; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speciteation.

1o This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in swing-bridges; and the invention consists in the peculiar arrangement and means employed for operating a gate so that such gate will bar the passages to the i5 bridge when the same is opened to allow the passage ot' a vessel, and that will, when the bridge is closed, be depressed, all as more fully hereinafter set forth.

Figure 1 :is a sectional side elevation. Fig.

2o 2 is a plan with bridge partly opened. Fig. 8 is a vertical cross-section on the line .fr x, Fig. 2.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part oi' this specilication, A represents a swing-bridge, and B the stationary approach thereto, one being at each end of the bridge.

Underneath the -door of the bridge I secure in proper guides the rods C, the inner ends of which are pivotally secured to one end of 3o the levers D, fulerumed to the end of the bridge, and to the opposite ends of these levers I attach the outer ends of the rods E, which in turn are connected to the vertical lever F in such a manner that both systems of 3 5 rods may be operated simultaneously. Upon the outer ends of the rods C are rigidly secured the curved rack-bars G.

II are other rods, secured in a like manner to the bed of the bridge, and which are also 4o provided with a similar system of rods and levers connecting them to the lever I. The

outer ends of the rods I-I are provided with heads (I.

K is a shaft journaled in proper bearings 4 5 underneath the roadway of the approach, one

end projecting through the front wall ot' the approach, and has secured upon it a gearwheel, L.

M is a gate-frame, the upper rail, N, of which 5o forms one of the planks of the roadway when the gate is in its depressed position, and to this rail N is attached one end of a chain or rope, O, the opposite end ot' which is secured to a drum, I), on the shaft K.

R are crossed rods or arms, the upper ends of which are pivoted to the vertical bars of the gate-frame, while their lower and opposite ends are pivotally secured to links S, which are in turn pivotally connected to the side foundation walls ot the approach. 6o

To the bottom rail of the gate-frame I secure one end of the chains or ropes T, which pass up and over the pulleys U, and have secured to their free ends the weights V.

XV is a dog or hook-latch pivotally secured in the bottom of the wall of the approach, and this dog is connected by a rod, X, to the inner end of the lever Y, the outer end ot' which projects through the front wall of the foundation in front of the gear-wheel L. 7o

Then the bridge is in position to allow travel over it, as in Fig. l, the gate is dcpressed, with its top iiush with the passages of the approach. Il' it is now desired to open the bridge, so as to allow of the passage of a vessel, the attendant, by means ot' the lever F, withdraws the rack-bars G from their engagement with the gear-wheels L. He then projects the rods II by means of the lever I. The heads of the rods impinging against the 8c ends ot' the levers Y cause the dogs W' to disengage from the bottom rail of the gate-frame, which is then free to be elevated vertically and laterally across the passages of the approach through the medium and gravity of the weights V, while springs a I) respectively compel the rods H and lever Y to assume their original positions-immediately upon the releasing of the lever I. The bridge is now free to be swung open, while the gate bars the 9o approaches thereto.

W'hen the gate is to be closed, theA operator projects the racks G by means of the lever F, and then swings the bridge in either direction, the rack-'bars engaging with the gear-wheels 95 G, rotating the same, and by thc connections named winds the chain O upon the drum l?, thereby drawing down the gate to its original position, the bottom rail of the gate engaging with the dog XV, which locks it to such posiroo tion until released by repeating the operation hereinbeforc described.

What I claim as myinvention ism 1. A swing-bridge having secured at either end a projecting and retracting rack adapted to engage with a pinion, thereby giving a vertical motion to agate adapted to project from the floor of the stationary part of the bridge, substantiallyT as described.

2. In combination with a swing-bridge, a detent for holding the gate down and a lever for disengaging such detent, such lever being operated from the center of the swing-bridge, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In combination with a swing-bridge, a gate at each end thereof, a detent for holding down each gate, and a lever operated from the bridge for disengaging said detents simultaneously, substantially as and for the purposes specilied.

4. In combination with a swing-bridge, and as a means for operating the gate in the stationary part thereof, a rack-bar conforming in shape to the .end of such swing-bridge, and secured beneath the floor of the same at its end, and adapted to be projected or retracted by means of a lever at the center of such swing-bridge, substantially as described.

In combination with a swing-bridge, a gate, a detent for holding said gate down, a lever and intermediate connections for disengaging said detent, and a Weight attached to said gate for elevating the same when said detent is disengaged, substantially as described.

6. In combination with a swing-bridge, and as y means for operating the gate in the stationary part thereof, the shaft K, gear-Wheel L, carried by said shaft, rod C, the curved rack-bar G, secured to said rod, and the lever F, arranged at the center of said bridge and constructed to project and retract said rackbar, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

7. In combination With a swing-bridge, the gate-frame M, shaft K, vdrum P, carried by said shaft, the crossed arms R, links S, pivotally secured to said arms and to the side Walls of the approach, the rope O, chain T, and Weight U, al1 constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes specified.

MARCUS O. ANTHONY.

Witnesses:

H. S. SPRAGUE, CHARLEs J. HUNT. 

